3 min readPuneOct 4, 2023 03:19 PM IST
First published on: Oct 4, 2023 at 11:02 AM IST
With Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar excusing himself from the cabinet meeting on Tuesday and not accompanying Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to Delhi, the Opposition has described his absenteeism as a “political illness” that could rock the government.
“Ajit Pawar seems to be suffering from political illness…He is apparently upset over the delay in appointment of district guardian ministers,” said Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar. Months after joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government, a few ministers from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are yet to be assigned responsibilities as district guardian ministers.
“It has just been three months since the triple engine government came to power…and I have heard that one faction is upset,” NCP MP Supriya Sule said. “I heard that the faction which is upset met Fadnavis and conveyed their resentment to him. In three months, the honeymoon is not yet over, and already problems have started cropping up. In just three months, such news is surfacing…Who is running the government?” she asked.
Amid speculation that all is not well with the ruling alliance, Shinde maintained that Ajit Pawar did not attend the cabinet meeting as he was unwell. “There is no need to draw any other conclusion,” Shinde, who left for Delhi along with Fadnavis on Tuesday evening, said.
NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar faction, said, “Ajit dada had a throat infection and therefore could not go to Delhi. Today (Tuesday), the cabinet meeting was held and we received a message that he was not well. If Ajit dada could not make it to the cabinet meeting from his residence, how will he go to Delhi?”
Asked if Ajit Pawar was suffering from “political illness”, Bhujbal said, “Never”.
NCP spokesperson Sanjay Tatkare also told The Indian Express that Ajit Pawar has a throat infection. “He is not in a position to speak and has a little fever as well. He is taking rest at home,” he said.
According to NCP sources, Ajit Pawar is upset as his demand to appoint some of his ministers as district guardian ministers is pending. He has demanded the district guardian ministership for Chhagan Bhujbal (Nashik), Hasan Mushrif (Kolhapur), Dhananjay Munde (Beed) and Aditi Tatkare (Raigad).
The Ajit Pawar group is also pressing for the district guardianship of Satara. “In both Raigad and Satara, Shinde Sena ministers are the guardian ministers. Shambhuraj Desai, in fact, is the minister for Thane and Satara. We are demanding Satara…In Raigad, Shinde Sena minister Uday Samant is the guardian minister. We are seeking Raigad for Tatkare,” he said.
In Pune, BJP leader Chandrakant Patil is the district guardian minister, a post that Ajit Pawar wants for himself. The BJP, however, is reluctant to give it up.
Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar (File Photo) 
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